Hirsh eyes empty spot in Astros' rotation

Hooks ace could fill Clemens' slot

The Roger Clemens saga at baseball's winter meetings this week drew the
attention of anyone with even a remote interest in the Houston Astros.

The Astros' decision to not offer Clemens salary arbitration also
piqued Jason Hirsh's interest, with the impact hitting a little closer
to home.

Clemens' likely departure from the Astros ostensibly clears a spot
in the starting rotation - with Hirsh likely on the short list of
candidates who'll compete for the job. As the Hooks' inaugural season
ace, he went 13-8 with a 2.87 earned run average and 165 strikeouts in
172.1 innings.

"Obviously, you want Roger as part of your organization but on the
other hand, you want someone to give you a little help in (getting)
your promotion," said Hirsh, who was voted the Texas League pitcher of
the year after his standout campaign in Corpus Christi.

"Obviously, that move helps my future out quite tremendously because
that opens up another pitching spot and there's an opportunity there
for one of the young guys, if it's me or (Fernando) Nieve or (Taylor)
Buchholz, to step up and take that spot."

While Hirsh hasn't picked up a baseball since pitching in the Hooks'
Sept. 4 season finale against San Antonio, it's hard to imagine his
off-season going any better.

The Astros added him and Hooks teammate Josh Anderson to the 40-man
roster and Baseball America tabbed Hirsh the top prospect in the
Houston system. To boot, Hirsh's off-season employer - he runs film
between the press box and sidelines for the NFL's San Diego Chargers -
isn't faring too bad, either.

"Not meaning to sound cocky, I kind of hoped to be put on the 40-man
because of the hard work and dedication I showed the organization,"
said Hirsh, the Astros' first selection in the 2003 draft. "When it
happened, everybody was super excited for me, but I think I'll be more
excited when I'm at spring training and rubbing elbows with (Jeff)
Bagwell, Roy (Oswalt) and all the other guys in the big leagues."

Hirsh was originally scheduled to pitch in the Arizona Fall League,
but the Astros opted to shut him down after he topped the 150-inning
threshold. That was fine with him, as he said he accomplished
everything he set out to do with the Hooks.

"My first goal was to have a successful season and my second goal
was to have fun, and I think I did that as well," Hirsh said. "Granted,
the team didn't do as well as a whole, but I did have a lot of
fun."

waiting for word

The Hooks are still waiting for official confirmation on the 2006
field staff from the Astros. However, from all indications, it appears
as if the quartet of manager Dave Clark, pitching coach Joe Slusarski,
hitting coach John Tamargo Jr. and trainer Jamey Snodgrass will return
intact.

mclemore on the mend

Left-hander Mark McLemore, who saw his first Class AA campaign end
in July because of season-ending shoulder surgery, said his
rehabilitation is progressing nicely.

McLemore started throwing again two weeks ago. That's progress after
having his throwing arm in a sling for six weeks after the surgery to
fix his biceps tendinitis.

"I'm only throwing for 10 minutes at 45 feet, but for me it's
exciting because I'm picking up a baseball and feeling better,"
McLemore said. "It started making me feel like a baseball player
again."

In about a month, McLemore will starting throwing off a mound. He
reports no setbacks and says doctors don't anticipate any complications
down the road, with spring training definitely in his sights.

"The goal for me is to be 100 percent healthy come April 1,"
McLemore said.

AROUND THE HORN

There has been one off-season departure for the Hooks, as veteran
right-hander Tim McClaskey signed with the Philadelphia Phillies after
spending the past three seasons in the Astros organization. . . . The
Astros selected right-hander Ben Diggins in the Class AAA phase of the
Rule V draft at the winter meetings. Diggins, a first-round pick of Los
Angeles in 2002, spent last year pitching for Brevard County,
Milwaukee's Class A affiliate in the Florida State League. He went 0-1
with a 5.27 ERA in 12 games. The Astros did not lose any players in the
Rule V draft.